The invention relates to a cap for a container. The cap is screwed in an upper portion of the container to close an opening of the container. When the cap is removed from the container for the first time, a part of the cap is separated and remains on the container. Therefore, the cap has a function of indicating the container has already been opened.
A cap for a container has been disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 2561260. The cap is screwed into an upper portion of the container to close an opening of the container. When the screwed cap is removed from the container, a part of the cap is separated so that it is recognized that the cap has already been opened.
The cap disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 2561260 is formed of a cap main portion and a ring member. The ring member includes an engaging projection to be engaged with a step portion formed on a lower end of an outer peripheral surface of the cap main portion, and an engaging piece to be engaged with a lower surface of a projection formed on a bottle opening. The engaging projection of the ring member is formed to surround the periphery thereof, and also, engaged with the step portion to cover the lower end of the outer peripheral surface of the cap main portion from the outside. In the engaged state, the engaging projection of the ring member is bent inwardly.
When the cap is removed from the bottle orifice cylinder for the first time, only the cap main portion is moved upward and the engagement between the step portion and the engaging projection is released. The engaging projection is deformed in a direction for releasing the engaging projection from the bent state in the course of releasing the engagement. When the engagement is completely released, the engagement projection is bent inwardly again. As a result, the lower end of the outer peripheral surface of the cap main portion is not covered again by the engaging projection of the ring member from the outside. Thus, it is possible to recognize that the cap is removed from the bottle orifice cylinder at least once.
In the cap disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 2561260, when the cap is not removed from the container, i.e. in an unopened state, the lower end of the outer periphery of the cap main portion is covered by the engaging projection of the ring member from the outside. Therefore, it is easily recognized that the cap is in the unopened state. However, the cap in the unopened state of the container does not provide a good appearance, thereby making it difficult to obtain a high quality design of the container using such a cap.
In the cap disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 2561260, the engaging projection of the ring member is structured to surround the periphery. Accordingly, after the cap main portion is separated from the ring member, it is relatively easy to reproduce the state that the engaging projection engages the step portion, i.e. the unopened state, by inserting a forward end of a driver into the ring member in the direction for releasing the bent of the engaging projection to insert the lower end portion of the outer peripheral surface of the cap main portion into the elastically deformed engaging projection while elastically deforming the ring member.
In view of the above defects, the present invention has been made, and an object of the invention is to provide a cap for a container such as a bottle or jar, wherein the cap in the unopened state can be clearly recognized to be in the unopened state and provided with a good appearance.
Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of the invention.